Table tennis world championship
The table tennis world championships (TT-WM) take place annually, namely in the years with an uneven number the individual world championships and in the even years the team world championships. The organizer is the world association ITTF .
The ITTF Congress (Annual General Meeting = AGM) meets at every TT-WM and advises on the table tennis rules. Changes are decided by this body.
history
The first TT World Championship was played in London in 1926 . From 1928 the World Cup took place every year. Because of the Second World War , the World Cup was suspended from 1940 to 1946. The 1-year cycle began again in Paris in 1947 , and the 2-year cycle started in 1957. Until 1997, the individual and team world championships were held simultaneously in one event. After the 1999 World Cup in Belgrade , which was initially canceled due to the political problems, and the separation into two events, there were then temporary solutions. Since 2003 the individual and team world championships have been held separately because the joint event was difficult to cope with due to the increasing number of participants. The team World Cup takes place in even years, in odd years the title is played out in the individual competitions.
A special situation arose in 1999 when the world association ITTF Yugoslavia withdrew the World Cup because it saw the safety of the participants as endangered by the war in Kosovo. Eindhoven took over the organization of the individual competitions at short notice, the team World Cup was rescheduled in Kuala Lumpur a year later.
In 1982 the World Veterans Table Tennis Championships were held for the first time, and in 2003 a youth world championship was held for the first time in Santiago, Chile.
Since only a few nations were able to host a World Cup for the events due to the increasing number of participants, the ITTF Congress decided in 2018 to limit the number of participants. From 2021, a maximum of 128 men and 128 women and a maximum of 32 teams will be allowed to compete. This decision resulted in more applications to host the event.
Postwar Germany at the World Championships
After the Second World War , Germany was initially occupied with rebuilding the table tennis business and its organization. This happened both in the Federal Republic of Germany and in the GDR. In 1950, both sports federations applied separately for admission to the world association ITTF . This application was rejected, the ITTF insisted on a uniform appearance for Germany. As a result, an "all-German committee" was formed, which in 1951 again applied for ITTF membership. This was granted after Germany paid 120,000 French francs to the ITTF as compensation for the Corbillon Cup , which the German women's team won at the 1939 World Cup and which was lost in the chaos of war.
In addition to Germany as a whole, Saarland was also accepted as a “goodstanding member”. For example, Germany and Saarland took part in the 1951 World Cup for the first time since the war . Up to and including 1957, Germany appeared as a single state before West Germany and the GDR went their separate ways in 1958. Both were accepted into the world association ITTF in 1958.
The Saarland performed independently until the 1955 World Cup, before it was integrated into the German Table Tennis Association in 1956 .
Competitions to be held
The following competitions are played at a TT World Championship:
- Teams gentlemen
- Teams women
- Men's singles
- Ladies singles
- Men's doubles
- Ladies doubles
- Mixed : This is a mixed doubles competition: one player and one player play doubles together.
trophies
The world champion in the men's singles receives the St. Bride Vase , a trophy that was donated in 1929 by C. Corti Woodcock (member of the London St. Bride Table Tennis Club and temporarily President of the English Table Tennis Association ETTA ).
Since 1931, the women's world champion in singles has received the G. Geist Prize , donated by the then President of the Hungarian table tennis association Gaspar Geist.
The title winners in men's doubles are honored with the Iran Cup , which was donated by the Shah of Persia in 1947 on the occasion of the Iranian Table Tennis Association's admission to the ITTF .
In 1949 William J. Pope, honorary president of the ITTF and longtime secretary of the English table tennis association ETTA , made the WJ Pope Trophy available for the winners of the women's doubles.
Zdeněk Heydušek (President of the ČSSR Table Tennis Association) donated the Heydusek Prize in 1947 for the winner of the mixed competition.
The winner of the men's team competition receives the Swaythling Cup . This trophy, worth 300 pounds sterling, was donated by (Dowager) Lady Gladys Goldsmid Montagu Swaythling (1879-1965), the mother of the tournament organizer at the time, Ivor Montagu , and personally presented it to the victorious Hungarian team at the first World Cup in London in 1926.
The victorious women's team receives the Corbillon Cup - also Coupe Marcel Corbillon - named after Marcel Corbillon , the temporary chairman of the French TT federation and vice-president of the ITTF until 1957. The Corbillon Cup was first held at the 1934 World Cup in Paris.
The Jubilee Cup is a special event during the World Cup . All non-playing team captains, all delegates, all jury members and all active players who participated in a World Cup 21 years ago and are no longer participating in the individual competitions at the current World Cup are eligible to play at this event. This trophy was also donated by Lady Gladys Goldsmid Montagu Swaythling.
If the St. Bride Vase or the G.Geist Prize has been won three times in a row or four times in total, then you will receive a half-size replica of the cup. He can keep this replica.
- swell
- ITTF museum
- DTS magazine , 1969/8 issue Süd-West pages 32–34
Senior World Championships
Since 1982, every two years find the Senior World Championships (World Veterans Table Tennis Championships) held by the Swaythling Club International organized. All players who are at least 40 years old in the year of the event are eligible to play. The women and men each play in eight age groups, the seniors 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85 in singles and doubles for the title. Prior qualification is not required.
The previous venues of the Senior World Championships:
- 1st World Cup: May 1982 in Gothenburg ( Sweden ): 450 participants from 21 countries
- 2nd World Cup: June 1984 in Helsinki ( Finland ): 650 participants from 38 countries
- 3rd World Cup: June 1986 in Rimini ( Italy ): 1,100 participants from 38 countries
- 4th World Cup: June 1988 in Zagreb ( Croatia ): 1,650 participants from 45 countries
- 5th World Cup: June 1990 in Baltimore ( USA ): 1,100 participants from 46 countries
- 6th World Cup: June 1992 in Dublin ( Ireland ): 1,300 participants from 48 countries
- 7th World Cup: April 1994 in Melbourne ( Australia ): 1,800 participants from 49 countries
- 8th World Cup: June 1996 in Lillehammer ( Norway ): 1,950 participants from 49 countries
- 9th World Cup: June 17-27, 1998 in Manchester ( England ): 1,400 participants from 53 countries
- 10th World Cup: May 21-27, 2000 in Vancouver ( Canada ): 1,850 participants from 57 countries
- 11th World Cup: June 2002 in Lucerne ( Switzerland ): 2,750 participants from 63 countries
- 12th World Cup: May 30 to June 5, 2004 in Yokohama ( Japan ): 2,384 participants from 47 countries
- 13th World Cup: May 15-20, 2006 in Bremen ( Germany ): 3,650 participants from 59 countries
- 14th World Cup: May 24th to 30th, 2008 in Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil ): 1,378 participants from 52 countries
- 15th World Cup: June 7th to 12th, 2010 in Hohhot ( China ): 2,065 participants from 51 countries
- 16th World Cup: June 25th to July 1st, 2012 in Stockholm ( Sweden )
- 17th World Cup: May 12th to 17th, 2014 in Auckland ( New Zealand )
- 18th World Cup: May 23-29, 2016 in Alicante and Elche ( Spain )
- 19th World Cup: June 18-23, 2018 in Las Vegas ( USA )
List of table tennis senior world champions
Rough division of epochs according to the predominance of nations
If you look at the overview below, you can roughly identify the following epochs according to predominance :
- until 1953 Europe (for the men of Hungary)
- 1954-1959 Japan
- 1961–1971 China for men, Japan for women
- 1975–1987 China
- 1989-1993 Sweden for the men
- since 1997 China
Overview of all table tennis world championships
See also: List of world champions in table tennis
Medal table
Status: after World Cup 2020
| rank | country | gold | silver | bronze | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 People's Republic of China
|
145 | 102 | 159 | 406 |
| 2 |
 Hungary
|
68 | 59.5 | 75.5 | 203 |
| 3 |
 Japan
|
48 | 37 | 72 | 157 |
| 4th |
 Czechoslovakia
|
28 | 33.5 | 59 | 120.5 |
| 5 |
 Romania
|
17th | 10.5 | 19th | 46.5 |
| 6th |
 England
|
14th | 26.5 | 56.5 | 96 |
| 7th |
 Sweden
|
14th | 12 | 16.5 | 42.5 |
| 8th |
 United States
|
10 | 2 | 20th | 32 |
| 9 |
 Austria
|
7th | 14.5 | 35.5 | 57 |
| 10 |
 Germany , FR Germany , German Democratic Republic 
|
5 | 16.5 | 21.5 | 43 |
| 11 |
 South Korea
|
5 | 15th | 43 | 63 |
| 12 |
 North Korea
|
4th | 9 | 13 | 26th |
| 13 |
.svg){kind=small} Yugoslavia
|
3 | 11 | 13.5 | 26.5 |
| 14th |
 Soviet Union
|
3 | 4th | 7th | 14th |
| 15th |
 France
|
2 | 3 | 18th | 23 |
| 16 |
 Chinese Taipei
|
1 | 3 | 5.5 | 9.5 |
| 17th |
 Singapore
|
1 | 2 | 5 | 8th |
| 18th |
 Scotland
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 4th |
| 19th |
 Poland
|
0 | 3.5 | 7.5 | 11 |
| 20th |
 Hong Kong
|
0 | 2 | 22.5 | 24.5 |
| 21st |
 Belgium
|
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 22nd |
 Wales
|
0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4th |
| 23 |
 Belarus
|
0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3 |
| 24 |
 Croatia
|
0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 25th |
 Spain
|
0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 26th |
 Luxembourg
|
0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.5 |
| 27 |
 Egypt
|
0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 28 |
 India
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 29 |
 Greece
|
0 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 30th |
 Denmark
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30th |
 Vietnam
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30th |
 Italy
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30th |
 Portugal
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30th |
 Latvia
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 |
 Netherlands
|
0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Most successful medalists
| space | Surname | country | From | To |  |
 |
 |
total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Barna |
.svg){kind=small} Hungary
|
1929 | 1954 | 22nd | 7th | 11 | 40 |
| 2 | Mária Mednyánszky |
.svg){kind=small} Hungary
|
1926 | 1936 | 18th | 6th | 3 | 27 |
| 3 | Angelica Rozeanu |
.svg){kind=small} Romania
|
1937 | 1957 | 17th | 5 | 8th | 30th |
| 4th | Wang Nan |
People's Republic of China
|
1997 | 2008 | 15th | 3 | 2 | 20th |
| 5 | Miklós Szabados |
Hungary
|
1929 | 1937 | 14th | 7th | 2 | 23 |
| 6th | Bohumil Váňa |
Czechoslovakia
|
1935 | 1955 | 13 | 9 | 7th | 29 |
| 7th | Ichirō Ogimura |
Japan
|
1954 | 1965 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 20th |
| 8th | Ma Long |
People's Republic of China
|
2006 | 2019 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| 8th | Wang Liqin |
People's Republic of China
|
1997 | 2013 | 11 | 4th | 5 | 20th |
| 9 | Gizella Lantos-Gervai-Farkas |
 Hungary
|
1947 | 1959 | 10 | 9 | 8th | 27 |
| 10 | Anna Sipos |
Hungary
|
1929 | 1935 | 10 | 6th | 4th | 20th |
| 11 | Guo Yue |
People's Republic of China
|
2003 | 2013 | 10 | 4th | 2 | 16 |
| 12 | Zhang Yining |
People's Republic of China
|
1999 | 2009 | 10 | 2 | 4th | 16 |
| 13 | Ivan Andreadis |
Czechoslovakia
|
1947 | 1957 | 9 | 10 | 8th | 27 |
| 14th | Ma Lin |
People's Republic of China
|
1999 | 2013 | 9 | 7th | 4th | 20th |
| 15th | Deng Yaping |
People's Republic of China
|
1989 | 1997 | 9 | 5 | - | 14th |
| 16 | Wang Hao |
People's Republic of China
|
2003 | 2014 | 9 | 4th | 2 | 15th |
| 17th | Ferenc Sidó |
Hungary
|
1947 | 1961 | 8th | 9 | 8th | 25th |
| 18th | Kong Linghui |
People's Republic of China
|
1995 | 2005 | 8th | 6th | 2 | 16 |
| 19th | Li Xiaoxia |
People's Republic of China
|
2006 | 2016 | 8th | 4th | 2 | 14th |
| 20th | Zoltán Mechlovits |
Hungary
|
1926 | 1931 | 8th | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 21st | László Bellák |
Hungary
|
1928 | 1938 | 7th | 9 | 5 | 21st |
| 22nd | Richard Bergmann |
Austria and England
|
1936 | 1955 | 7th | 6th | 9 | 22nd |
| 23 | István Kelen |
Hungary
|
1929 | 1936 | 7th | 5 | 2 | 14th |
| 24 | Liu Guoliang |
People's Republic of China
|
1993 | 1999 | 7th | 4th | 3 | 14th |
| 25th | Cao Yanhua |
People's Republic of China
|
1979 | 1985 | 7th | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 26th | Kimiyo Matsuzaki |
Japan
|
1959 | 1963 | 7th | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 26th | Wang Tao |
People's Republic of China
|
1991 | 1997 | 7th | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 28 | Zhang Jike |
People's Republic of China
|
2009 | 2016 | 7th | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 29 | Jan-Ove Waldner |
Sweden
|
1983 | 2001 | 6th | 7th | 3 | 16 |
| 30th | Marie Kettnerová |
Czechoslovakia
|
1934 | 1950 | 6th | 5 | 11 | 22nd |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ tischtennis magazine , 2018/11 page 6
- ↑ DTS magazine , 1951/20 issue west-south, page 3.